Dr. Stephen Farry:

Good afternoon to all of our witnesses. I want to pick up on the last point on this all being about people and I want to ask a couple of broad questions. First, I refer to the evolving funding landscape in Northern Ireland.

I refer in particular to the evolution of European funds, be they INTERREG or the PEACE III moneys, and the evolution towards the new shared prosperity funding to replace the EU Structural Funds such as the European Social Fund, and how that affects the ability to invest in young people, and especially in certain communities. Arising from that, are there any wider comments on the more mainstream government funding? I am very conscious that the European Union funding is additional, and a lot of it should be addressed through mainstream budgets. Do the guests have any thoughts on how that can be improved? Do they have any worries with regard to uncertainty around the Northern Ireland budget and the potential for cuts, where they may impact the most, and where they may inadvertently cause unintended consequences, perhaps for those who most need the assistance?

Do the representatives here today have any other comments on the wider policy framework? I am particularly mindful of the need for a proper 14 to 19 strategy to better integrate what happens with young people in school and then in further education, apprenticeships, and on to university, and how this can be joined up a bit better. There is also the report into educational under-achievement, particularly among Protestant boys. Do the representatives have any comments on the report's conclusion and how they could be better implemented into policy? That is a very broad range of issues and questions.